Some results and prospects of the millimeter and submillimeter wave interstellar spectroscopy

It is well known that the millimeter and submillimeter part of the spectrum contains key information concerning the birth and death of stars and the evolution of galaxies. These are among the most fundamental problems in astrophysics. In. this wavelength region, one can probe deep into the cocoons of gas and dust surrounding stars in the earliest as well as the last phases of their life, into the dusty tori surrounding active galactic nuclei, and into high redshift galaxies undergoing their first burst of star formation. The radio astronomical groups from the Institute of Applied Physics RAS and Institute of Radio Astronomy NASU collaborate for many years in this area. Here we review the main results of our recent studies and outline the perspectives of this research